VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES PLUS

Each state may cast one vote and an absolute majority is needed to win. Should no presidential candidate receive an absolute majority, the House of Representatives determines who the next President will be. With 538 Electors, a candidate must receive at least 270 votes to be elected to the office of President or Vice President.

VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES PLUS

An absolute majority is necessary to prevail in the presidential and the vice presidential elections, that is, half the total plus one electoral votes are required. In that case, the votes are counted on the next day. This takes place on January 6, unless that date falls on a Sunday. The votes of the electors are then sent to Congress where the President of the Senate opens the certificates and counts the votes. Maine and Nebraska are exceptions to this winner-take-all rule. The candidate who wins in a state is awarded all of that state’s Electoral College votes.

The candidate who receives the most votes in a state at the general election will be the candidate for whom the electors later cast their votes. This phenomenon is known as the 'unfaithful' or 'faithless' elector. Legally, the electors may vote for someone other than the candidate for whom they were pledged to vote. The number of electors for each state equals its Congressional representation.Īfter Election Day, on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December, these electors assemble in their state capitals, cast their ballots, and officially select the next President of the United States. These electors, in turn, vote for the presidential candidate.

Voters in each state actually cast a vote for a block of electors who are pledged to vote for a particular candidate. The authors of the Constitution put this system in place so that careful and calm deliberation would lead to the selection of the best-qualified candidate. For example, in a general presidential election, voters select electors to represent their vote in the Electoral College, and not for an individual presidential candidate. This is in contrast to a popular election where votes are cast for an individual candidate. Instead of voting for a specific candidate, voters in an indirect popular election select a panel of individuals pledged to vote for a specific candidate. The Electoral College is a method of indirect popular election of the President of the United States.

Vice president of the united states